A collection of empathy quotes for cultivating stronger connections and achieving greater success in your business and leadership.
Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – has now become a critical driver of sustainable success. Cultivating genuine connection within teams, with clients, and across the organization fosters trust, improves communication, sparks innovation, and ultimately leads to a more engaged and productive environment. Here, we have compiled a list of 40 powerful empathy quotes to inspire you on the journey!
(by Jonathan M. Pham)
Short Empathy Quotes
- Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another. – Alfred Adler
- No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. – Theodore Roosevelt
- The highest form of knowledge is empathy. – Bill Bullard
- Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. – Plato
- Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. – Golden Rule
Beautiful empathy quotes
Inspiring Empathy Quotes
- Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. – Dalai Lama
- Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you’re exactly the same. Nothing is more important than empathy for another human being’s suffering. Nothing – not a career, not wealth, not intelligence, certainly not status. – Audrey Hepburn
- The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy. – Meryl Streep
- Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself. – Mohsin Hamid
- I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person. – Walt Whitman
Empathy quotes by famous people
Sympathy and Empathy Quotes
- Sympathy is easy; empathy takes work. – Unknown
- Empathy is feeling with people. – Brené Brown
- When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen. – Ernest Hemingway
- Sympathy maintains distance, but empathy draws near. – Unknown
- You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view; until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. – Atticus
Empathy Quotes for Work
- People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou
- Empathy is the foundation for a caring workplace. – Unknown
- Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge. – Simon Sinek
- Treat employees like they make a difference and they will. – Jim Goodnight
- Empathy and social skills are social intelligence, the interpersonal part of emotional intelligence. That’s why they look alike. – Daniel Goleman
Psychology quotes about empathy
Read more: 50 Essential Emotional Intelligence Quotes for Success
Lack of Empathy Quotes
- The opposite of empathy is indifference. – Unknown
- The biggest deficit in the world is not oil or gas. It’s the empathy deficit. – Barack Obama
- A lack of empathy leads to cruelty. – Unknown
- Without empathy, humanity fades. – Desmond Tutu
- All cruelty springs from weakness. – Seneca
No empathy quotes
Compassion, Kindess and Empathy Quotes
- A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. – Amelia Earhart
- Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. – Pema Chödrön
- Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle. – Charles Glassman
- Ubuntu: ‘I am because we are.’ – African philosophy
- We rise by lifting others. – Robert Ingersoll
Compassion and empathy quotes
Love and Empathy Quotes
- Love and empathy are inseparable. – Unknown
- Empathy is the mother of love. – Unknown
- Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. – Martin Luther King Jr.
- Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love. – Erich Fromm
- Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. – Brené Brown
Catchy phrase for empathy
Empathetic Leadership Quotes
- Empathy shapes our ability to make a positive impact. – Marshall Goldsmith
- Lead with empathy, and others will follow with trust. – Unknown
- The best way to lead people is to understand them. – Desmond Tutu
- Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. – Warren Bennis
- Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and connect with people. – Oprah Winfrey
Good empathy statement
Read more: 110 Leadership Quotes to Unlock Greatness
Foster Empathy in the Workplace with ITD World’s Training Solutions
At ITD World, we specialize in providing the practical tools, skills, and insights needed to cultivate a truly empathetic environment. Our tailored training solutions go beyond inspiration, offering actionable strategies for individuals and teams to enhance active listening, improve perspective-taking, navigate difficult conversations, and build psychological safety.
Whether through interactive workshops, leadership coaching, or specialized team development programs, we will help equip your workforce with the capabilities to lead with greater emotional intelligence, foster stronger connections, and drive collective success.
Ready to move from inspiration to implementation? Contact us today to learn how ITD World’s training solutions may enable your organization to establish a more empathetic, connected, and successful workplace!
Other resources you might be interested in:
- 123 Quotes for Employee Motivation
- 60 Learning and Development Quotes to Fuel Your Growth
- 80 Employee Engagement Quotes: Inspire & Engage
- EQ in the AI Age: Why It Matters for Leaders
- 9 Key Leadership Skills for the Future of Work
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